Packaging of solutions in fiber web rolls



Sept. 29, 1959 LYSLE ETAL 2,906,399

PACKAGING 0F SOLUTIONS IN FIBER WEB ROLLS Filed Oct. 29, 1957 INVENTORS .1 Goeoow LYSLE 1 CLIFTON M. TUTTLE.

QTT'OENEYS United States Patent P PACKAGING OF SOLUTIONS 1N FIBER WEB ROLLS Gordon Lysle, Tilly Foster, N.Y., and Clifton M. Tuttle, Ball Pond, Conn., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Specialties, Inc., Syosset, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application October 29, 1957, Serial No. 693,090 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-59) This invention relates to the packaging of absorbent web material impregnated with a saturant, to provide a substantially air-tight enclosure for the material. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved package which protects the saturant against deterioration, as through contact with oxygen in the atmosphere, and to a novel method of making such a package.

While the present invention is applicable to the packaging of absorbent webs impregnated with various saturants, it may be used to particular advantage in the packaging of webs which are saturated with photographic solutions and are adapted to be contacted directly with a photographic film for development or fixation of a latent image on the film. Accordingly, the invention will be described in connection with this particular use, but only for illustrative purposes and without limiting it to such use.

It has been proposed heretofore to saturate an absorbent strip of web material with a photographic developing solution and move the saturated strip in contact with the exposed sensitized surface of a photographic film. By'effecting a sliding action between the saturated absorbent strip and the photographic film, the developing solution carried by the absorbent "strip is intimately contacted with the sensitized surface of the film to develop the'latent images thereon rapidly and uniformly. A system for developing photographic images in this manner is disclosed in a copending application of Clifton M. Tuttle, Serial No. 637,417, filed January 31,1957, this system also including a second absorbent strip saturated with a fixing or stabilizing solution which is contacted with the emulsion surface of the film upon completion of the developing operation.

It is well known that many photographic solutions, particularly compounded developing agents, are subject to deterioration if they are not used promptly after mixing. The primary cause of such deterioration is chemical reaction of the photographic solution with oxygen present in the atmosphere. Consequently, in the processing of photographic film withthe use of an absorbent strip saturated with a photographic solution, aspreviously described, some provision must be made to prevent deterioration of the photographic solution between the time when the absorbent strip is saturated with the solution and the time when the saturated strip is applied to the exposed photographic film. As it is impracticable in many instances to use the absorbent strip promptly after it has been saturated with the solution, the problem is to maintain the saturated strip out of substantial contact with the atmosphere over a'substantial period of time, so that the saturating solution is in good condition when the absorbent strip is ready to .be applied to the exposed film.

The principal object of the present invention is to prov-ide an improved package for saturated absorbent strips or webs, and an'improved method of packaging a simple and inexpensive manner.

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'roll, that is, the end located at the outer part of the roll, is secured to one end of a flexible leader strip made :of an air-pervious material. This leader strip is wrapped around the web roll in overlapping relation to the discs at the ends of the roll and with the side edge portions of the leader strip in substantially air-tight relation to the peripheral portions of the respective discs. Thus,

the discs and the leader strip form a substantially airtight casing for the Web roll and the saturant with which it is impregnated. The outer end of the leader strip may be secured in position on the composite roll in any suitable manner, as by means of an adhesive, to prevent admission of air into the package between the outer end of the leader strip and the underlying body of the strip.

When the saturated absorbent web is ready for use, the exposed outer end of the leader strip is detached from the underlying body of the composite roll so that the leader strip can be unwound from the roll, thereby releasing the discs at the ends of the package and exposing the saturated roll of web material. The leader strip may then be used to thread the saturated web material through the apparatus for processing the photographic film, preliminary to the actual processing operation.

In the practice of the new packaging method, the unsaturated strip of .web material is wound into a roll, the leading end of the strip at the outer part of the roll being secured to an air-impervious leader strip which is of greater width than the web material. The air-impervious discs are then located at the opposite ends of the unsaturated strip, one of these discs being provided with an opening. Then, the leader strip-is wrapped or wound around the-roll of absorbent Web material. with the oppositeedge portions of the leader strip overlapping the peripheral portions of the discs in substantially airtight relation thereto. The end discs and the overlapping cylinder formed by the leader strip will thus define a casing enclosing the unsaturated web roll and which is substantially air-tight except for the opening in one of the discs. In the next step, the casing is evacuated through the disc opening, whereupon the photographic solution or other saturant is introduced into the evacuated casing through the disc opening to impregnate the web roll with the saturant. When the enclosed web has been saturated to the desired extent, the disc opening is closed by an air-tight plug to complete the sealing of the saturated web.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference maybe had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a preferred form of the new package;

Fig. 2 is an end View of the package illustrated in Fig. l; 1

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 in Fig.1 and Fig. 4 is a detail view of the leading end portion of the strip of web material before it is woundinto the roll illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, showing the web connectedto the leader strip. 1

Referring to the drawings,'a length of absorbent web material 10 is wound into a roll, as shown in Figs. 1' and 3. While different absorbent materials may be used for theweb 10, We have found that fibrous web material such as teabag stock iswell suited for saturating with'photographic solutions and subsequent contacting with photographic film to process the latent images thereon, as pre: viously described. Preferably, the web 10 is wound on a Patented Sept. 29, 1959 3. shaft S which is of a length corresponding substantially to the width of the web material. When the saturated web is installed in the apparatus for processing the photographic. film, the shaftv S is. used.to-mount' the web roll'rotatably inthe apparatus so-that the outer end 10!).

of. the: rolled web constitutes the leading end of the web as it is-moved through the apparatusin contact with the photographic film. Thus, the inner end 10a of the rolled web. constitutes its lagging end as the web is unrolled from the shaft or spool S-incident to passage of the web through the processing apparatus.

At the opposite ends of the roll of web material 10 are discs 11. and 12, respectively, which are made of air-imperviousmaterial, such as a molded resin. These discs should, of course, be made of a material which is resistant to chemical. reaction with the photographic solution with which'the web 10 is to be saturated. As shown in Fig. 1, the end disc 12.is provided with an opening 12a for apurpose to be described presently.

A leader strip 13 is secured to the leading end 10b of the web 1.0.. The leader strip is made of a flexible airimpervious material and is substantially wider than the absorbent webv 10, so that the side edges of the leader strip protrude beyond the side edges of the absorbent web, as shown in Fig. 4. The length of the leader strip 13 is such that when. it. is wound on the rolled web 10, the leader strip will encircle the web roll and overlap itself to.- provide a tab for securing the free outer end 131) of the leader strip to the underlying portion, as by means of a suitable adhesive. The lagging or inner end 13a of the leader strip may be secured to the leading end 10b of the Web in any suitable manner, as by means of an adhesive. We have found that vinyl adhesive coated tape, such as that supplied by the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company as Scotch tape, is satisfactory material for the leader strip 13, the adhesive serving to secure the leader strip to the leading end 10b of the web material and to secure the free or leading end of the leader strip upon the underlying portion of this strip when it is wound on the web roll'.

In winding the leader strip 13 on the rolled web 10, the opposite side edge portions of the'leader strip are overlapped on the respective end discs 11 and 12, as shown particularly in Fig. 1. That is, the leader strip 13 is wound tightly around the end discs 11 and 12 so that the edge portions of the leader strip are in air-tight contact with the peripheries of the respective discs. When a vinyl adhesive coated tape is used for the leader strip 13, the adhesiveserves to bond the leader strip to the peripheries of the discs 11-12 and thereby enhance the seal between this strip and the discs. The free outer end of the leader strip 13 is secured in overlapping relation to the underlying portion of this strip, as by means of the adhesive coating when the aforementioned vinyl tape is used, so as to seal the joint between this free end of the leader strip and the underlying portion of the strip.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the end discs 11-12 and the leader strip 13 wound on these discs form an enclosure or casing for the rolled web 10, this casing being substantially air-tight except for the hole 12a in the end disc 12.

As the next step in the packaging process, the casing 11-12-13 is evacuated through the hole 12a, so that the air is almost completely removed from the interior of this casing and from the rolled web 10 itself. Then, while the interior of the casing is still under vacuum, the saturant is introduced into the casing through the hole 12a in a quantity sufficient to effect the desired saturation of the rolled web. The hole 12a is then plugged with an air-tight stopper 14 to complete the sealing of the interior of the casing against the outside atmosphere.

The evacuation of the interior of the casing 11-12-13, and the subsequent introduction of the saturant into the casing while it is under vacuum, can be eficctedin any conventional type of apparatus for introducing liquids into articles under vacuum, such as the apparatus commonly used for impregnating electrical cables with oil. As apparatus of this type is well known, it is not illustrated or described in detail here. In the use of such apparatus, the casing 11-12-13 containing the unsaturated web 10 is pl'acedin the evacuating chamber of theiapparatus which is then evacuated'to a pressure of about 1 millimeter: of mercury, so that the air is almost completely removed from the interior of the casing and' the web 10 through the hole 12a. While the evacuating chamber of the apparatus is still under vacuum, the chemical solution or other saturant. is admitted into this chamber and enters the roll of absorbent material 10 through the hole 12a. Preferably, the chemical solution, such as a. conventional developer, is first heated under vacuum to remove absorbed air before the solution is introduced into the evacuating chamber. When saturation of the. rolled web 10 under vacuum has been completed and thehole. 1212 has been scaled: by plug 14, the saturated. web. 10. is sealed in the casing 11-12-13 against. the entrance. of air or evaporation of the saturant.

In the new article,.the flexible air-impervious strip 13 serves not only as. the hollow cylindrical part of the. substantially air-tight casing 11-12-13, but also: as a leader strip for drawing the saturated. web 10 through the photographic film-processing apparatus in preparation for contacting the saturated web with the emulsion surface of the exposed film. By liftingthe leading end 13b of the strip 13 from the underlying portion of this strip, to break the adhesion between the two, the leader strip 13 can be unwound from the rolled web 10 to uncover the latter and release the: enddiscs 11-12, whereupon the leader strip 13 is ready to be used as described above when the saturated web roll ismounted in the film processing apparatus.

We:claim:

1'. In the packaging of a length of impregnated absorbent web material having one end secured to an airimpervious leader strip of greater width than the web material, with the use of a pair of discs of air-impervious material one of which has an opening therethrough, the method which comprises winding the length of web material into a roll with said end at the outer part of the roll, locating the discs at the opposite ends, respectively, of the roll, wrapping the leader strip secured to said end of the web material around the roll with the opposite side edge portions of the strip overlapping the peripheral portions of the-discs and in substantially air-tight relation thereto, whereby said discs, and strip form a casing enclosing the web roll and which is substantially airtight except for the disc opening, evacuating thecasing through said opening, introducing a saturant into the evacuated casing through saidopening to impregnate the web roll with the saturant, and sealing said opening.

2. An article of the character described comprising a length of absorbent web material wound into a roll, said length having a leading end at the-outer part of the roll, an air-impervious disc at each end of the roll, a flexible leader strip of air-impervious material secured to said leading end of the web material and being of substantially greater width than the web material, the leader strip being wrappedaround said roll-in overlappingand substantially air-tight relation'to the peripheral portions of the discs, said discs and leader strip forming a substantially airtight casing for the roll, a saturant impregnating the web material, one of the discs having an opening leading to the interior of the casing, and'means sealing said. opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 191,046 Great Britain Sept. 20, 1923 430,295 Germany June 16, 1926 503,557 Great Britain .....Apr. 11, 1939 

